From October 31 through December 6, Les Enluminures gallery in New York City will showcase 41 rings from the personal collection of the renowned gem dealer and collector Benjamin Zucker. Cycles of Life: Rings from the Benjamin Zucker Family Collection includes items once owned by notable scholars and jewelry connoisseurs such as Joan Evans, Ralph Harari, the Rothschild family, and Melvin Gutman.

The exhibition features highly detailed, handcrafted rings dating from the first century to the mid-19th century. United by the theme of the cycles of life, it includes pieces that reference birth, death, significant life events, and even the nature of time itself. Some of these historic designs are valued at over $1 million. Ancient Roman diamond and signet rings, 300-year-old Jewish wedding rings, mourning rings, a perpetual-calendar ring, and a 17th-century gimmal ring that contains hidden images of a newborn and a skeleton are just a few of the remarkable pieces in the exhibition. A ring dating back to the Roman Empire, featuring a rough-cut, 1.75-carat diamond set in a high openwork bezel, is perhaps the exhibit’s most distinguished design. It is the second-largest known surviving Roman rough-diamond ring, and one of just 13 believed to still be in existence. (lesenluminures.com)